What Do Airbnb Guests Want? Turns Out, Wifi

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What makes a traveler choose Airbnb over a hotel? A variety of reasons, one survey by IPX1031 revealed, including privacy and better options.

And with many second home owners opting to take advantage of the relative ease short-term rental companies like Airbnb provides in earning a little income from a property that sometimes sits dormant, knowing what moves the needle for a prospective guest is important.

IPX1031 surveyed 2,000 Americans to get a better idea of why they might choose a short-term rental over a hotel.

“According to survey respondents, 68 percent would choose to rent an Airbnb over a hotel, even if the prices were the same,” the company said. “Privacy, uniqueness of rental, free parking and pet-friendliness were some of the top factors that set Airbnb apart from hotels, according to our survey.”

IPX1031

According to the survey, 61 percent would choose an Airbnb over a hotel, while 72 percent felt that short-term rentals were better for group travel. But 68 percent said they’d choose an Airbnb even if the rate was the same as a comparable hotel room.

Cost was the biggest reason why people said they’d choose an Airbnb over a hotel — 70 percent said it was a big factor, followed by the feeling that it was more private than a hotel (51 percent). But of those that said they preferred hotels, 70 percent said it was largely because they felt they knew what to expect and that it was safer (60 percent).

IPX1031

What are guests looking for? Free wifi was the most important, according to those surveyed — 74 percent said so, followed by a kitchen and private bathroom (66 percent and 60 percent, respectively).

What do prospective guests dislike? Deceptive listing photos, for one — nearly 60 percent said they didn’t like listing photos that didn’t match what they actually experienced. And once again, wifi was also important — slow or no wifi garnered 52 percent of the responses, followed by an unresponsive host at 45 percent.

IPX1031

Guests also prefer to have the run of the house over renting out a room or part of the house.

“Depending upon the layout of your property, you may be able to rent out several rooms, a guest house or the entire property to guests,” IPX1031 said. “However, it might be important to keep in mind that more than half of renters prefer to rent an entire house without the host living on the premises, according to our survey.”

Want to see more of the results? Check out the full report here.

Bethany Erickson

Bethany Erickson